


Jump Before You Look

by flowersforgraves



Series: BTHB [20]
Category: Stargate Universe
Genre: Affectionate Insults, Arguing, Bad Things Happen Bingo, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-13 15:42:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18471985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowersforgraves/pseuds/flowersforgraves
Summary: Young thinks Rush's plan was stupid. Rush disagrees.





	Jump Before You Look

**Author's Note:**

> prompt from anon on tumblr: Colonel Everett Young for “Anger Born Of Worry”.
> 
> (card [here](https://flowersforgraves.tumblr.com/post/177921515881/); current list of claimed and filled prompts [here](https://flowersforgraves.tumblr.com/post/184194724606/))

“What the fuck were you thinking, Rush?” Young is berating the man almost before he’s conscious again. “I thought you were supposed to be the smart one. If you’re so goddamn intelligent, why the _fuck_ did you execute a plan you _knew_ would fail?”

Rush blinks up at him. TJ puts a hand on his shoulder as if to warn him, but they all know he’s past the point where he’d consider beating the shit out of semi-conscious Rush an option.

“I didn’t,” Rush rasps after a moment.

“Didn’t think? That much is obvious,” Young snaps. “You keep saying how we’d be so helpless without you and then you go and put yourself in a position where you’ll almost surely die.” His heart rate is slowing down finally, though, the adrenalin from pulling his men -- and Rush counts as one of his, now, no matter how hard both of them would try to deny it -- back safe to Destiny starting to drain away. 

“Calculated risk,” Rush replies, and coughs. “Better to die in one shot than suffer for weeks while we run out of supplies.”

Young takes a deep breath and purposely brings his volume down. “And you didn’t for one second think about what you’d be doing? Forget about all of us surviving, you would really have done that to Chloe?” There’s real venom in his voice as he says the last of it, aiming to hurt in a way he hadn’t before.

Rush pushes himself up on his elbows. “Damn fool,” he says. He looks like he’s about to say something else, but Young cuts him off. 

“ _I’m_ the fool?” he asks incredulously. “Damnit, Rush! There was no way that would have worked and we both know it.”

TJ has her back to them, pretending valiantly to not hear their argument, but she’s still on alert in case something happens.

“I didn’t execute a plan doomed to fail,” Rush says, annoyed.

“You -- then what the fuck was your expectation?” Young throws his hands up.

Rush glares. “I only started because I knew _you_ needed a push to make the right decision. Since it’s clear you can’t make hard leadership choices that need to be made, I provided you an incentive.”

Young stops short. “You were banking on me saving you.”

“I was expecting you to make the necessary choice to preserve your assets,” Rush says, sounding much more prim and proper than anyone with a split lip deserves. “Since I’m your most valuable asset, that wasn’t a plan doomed to fail.”

Young almost laughs, but he knows if he starts he won’t stop. “You were banking on me saving you,” he repeats. His shoulders drop, because with the release of tension comes exhaustion, and he has no more energy to be angry anymore.

“If you want to think about it that way I’m sure I won’t be able to convince you otherwise,” Rush says, but he sounds tired too.

Young looks down at him, exasperatedly fond. “Well. This way is better anyway.” He turns on his heel, and goes to find a chair to collapse in.

After the door shuts behind him, Rush looks at TJ. “He’s an idiot,” he tells her.

TJ just shrugs. “You’re one of his men,” she says as if that explains everything.

Maybe for her it does.


End file.
